# Identity rap from Norwegian-Egyptian


![KarpeDiem](http://reganmian.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/KarpeDiem.jpg "KarpeDiem")As
I was walking home tonight, I listened to
[Migrapolis](http://www.nrk.no/migrapolis/) on my iPod. It's a Norwegian
radio show about multiculture, identity and immigrants. Last week they
interviewed the daughter of the "king of the gypsies" in Norway, who
never went to school, and grew up to become a drug addict. Finally, she
decided to kick the habit cold, and moved to Sri Lanka, where she staid
for 15 years. Now she is back, and uses the strength she gained from
buddhism to be able to acknowledge and value her own heritage, and work
with gypsy (she says she prefers that word) communities to increase the
opportunities of children.

That was last week, this week they talked to a number of people, but
they also played a really neat rap song about children who feel trapped
between two cultures. They are called [Karpe
Diem](http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karpe_Diem), and were established in
2000. The group consists of [Magdi Omar Ytreeide
Abdelmaguid](http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdi "Magdi"), [Chirag
Rashmikant
Patel](http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirag_Rashmikant_Patel "Chirag Rashmikant Patel")
og [DJ](http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ "DJ") Marius Thingvald. I ended
up buying two CDs by them on iTunes store, which is my first music
purchase from iTunes. But I figured I wanted to support them, and iTunes
doesn't do DRM anymore, which was important to me.

To share them with you, I found the song that was played in the program,
and I've embedded it below. I will also paste in the Norwegian lyrics,
and translate them to English. Enjoy.

*We determine who we are by what we look like. And when we look in the
mirrors like this, we ask ourself a question: Who am I? Wo am I on this
jurney called life? Who am I? I hope, that you haven't bought into the
idea that you are what you look like, or your worth is determined by
what your outwards appearance looks like. Or about what you do.*

*I hope, that you figured out by now, that if you lived you life that
way, you would constibly be looking at you self, and be thinking "I am
not good enough. I'm not tall enough. I'm not buff enough. I'm not
pretty enough, I am not beautiful enough. I'm not anybody."* Er både
svart og hvit, er både glad og trist, er både fattig og rik, en dåre
valkemist

*Is both black and white, is both happy and sad, is both poor and rich,
a fool valkemist*

Er både ja til slå tilbake, og pasifist og. Du tror du kjenner meg, for
du kanskje visste at jeg er både svart og hvitt, jeg er både glad og
trist, jeg er både fattig og rik, en dåre valkemist. Er både ja til slå
tilbake, og pasifist og. Du tror du kjenner meg, for du kanskje visste
at:

*Is both yes to hit back, and pacifist, and. You think you know, because
maybe you knew that I am both black and white, I am both happy and sad,
I am both poor and rich, a fool valkemist. Is both yes to hit back, and
pacifist, and. You think you know me, because maybe you knew that:*

han er halv norsk, han er halvt egypter Han går på fester, han er alltid
nykter Han bor hos faren sin, han bor hos mamma Han spiser brunost,
falefel og shawarma

*he is half Norwegian, he is half Egyptian he goes to parties, he is
always sober he lives with his father, he lives with mum he eats
goatcheese, falafel and shawarma*

Han bor i åsen, (Hei) han bor i blokk, (men) han kan arabisk, han
snakker norsk Men han er brun, hei please; han er hvit! Han feirer jul,
det er høytid når det er hit

[](http://www.sweetslyrics.com/Karpe%20Diem.html)*He lives in the hill,
(hi) he lives in a high-rise, (but) he speaks Arabic, he speaks
Norwegian but he is brown, hey please, he is white! he celebrates
Christmas, it's holiday when it's Eid*

men han er rik, kom igjen a; han er fattig! Hei, han er hvit, nei, se
på'n; han er svarting! han ser fordeler, og han ser ulemper Han er hva
du sier, han veit hva du tenker Og her hjemme, kaller de han utlending
og der borte, kaller de han utlending

*but he is rich, now come on, he is poor! Hey, no he is white, no, look
at him, he's a nigger! he sees advantages, and he sees disadvantages he
is what you say, he knows what you think and here at home, they call him
foreigner and over there, they call him foreigner*

Men vi er enig om at vi blir fresh selv om identitet lett dreper med en
strek mellom.**

*But we agree that we become fresh, even if identity can easily kill by
drawing a line between.*

Stian